Dick slipped through the familiar bigtop tent of Haley's Circus with all the stealth of a Robin and an acrobat.

The second he had that heard Haley's Circus was coming back to Gotham, he knew he had to come. The circus was his home after all. It raised him before Bruce ever adopted him, before he had ever become Nightwing or Robin or anything in-between. It was home. Safe and familiar, with the clowns and juggling acts and dazzling lights shining up to the trapeze.

But most importantly, it meant you.

You'd grown up together, you and Dick. Two peanuts in the same shell, under the lights of the Bigtop. Running around and getting into all the trouble kids in a circus were expected to get into; breaking into animal trailers, stealing clown cars, and eating cotton candy until you were both sick to your stomach.

But Tony Zucco had put a sharp end to that, thrust him into the life of Dick Grayson, ward of Bruce Wayne. Robin, and then, eventually, Nightwing.

Not that he was eager to let you in on that part of himself, of course. No. He was firmly decided. While the circus was in town, while you were in town, he was Dick Grayson. Dick Grayson of The Flying Graysons, the same one who taught you how to trapeze in return for you teaching him to juggle. No Nightwing, no danger, just Dick.

He grinned when he spotted you, stapling up flyers as you always used to. Everyone helped set up once the circus opened its tents, no exceptions. He snuck behind you, light on his toes and silent as air as he leaned over on his heels to peer over your shoulder. "What're we working on?" He laughed as you jumped in fear, having successfully scared you. "What, someone who swallows fire for a living is jumpy, now?"

His smile was so wide it almost hurt his cheeks. You hadn't changed a bit. Well, of course you had, but YOU hadn't changed. Not at all.